小说搜索     点击排行榜   最新入库
首页 » 儿童英文小说 » Andy Gordon The Fortunes of A Young Janitor » CHAPTER XIII. ANDY ON GUARD.
选择底色: 选择字号:【大】【中】【小】
CHAPTER XIII. ANDY ON GUARD.
关注小说网官方公众号(noveltingroom),原版名著免费领。
 The Peabody girls, as people in Hamilton were accustomed to call them, though they were over fifty years of age, lived in an old-fashioned house, consisting of a main part and an L.
It was a prim1-looking house, and everything about it looked prim; but nothing could be{81} more neat and orderly. The front yard was in perfect order. Not a stick or a stone was out of place.
In the fall, when the leaves fell from the trees, they were carefully gathered every morning and carried away, for even nature was not allowed to make a litter on the old maids’ premises2.
A brass3 knocker projected from the outer door. The Misses Peabody had not yet adopted the modern innovation of bells. On either side of the front door was a square room—one serving as a parlor4, the other as a sitting-room5. In the rear of the latter was a kitchen, and in the rear of that was a woodshed. The last two rooms were in the L part. This L part consisted of a single story, surmounted6 by a gently-sloping roof. From the chamber7 over the sitting-room one could look out upon the roof of the L part.
This the reader will please to remember.
When Andy knocked at the door at five o’clock, it was opened by Miss Sally Peabody in person.
“I am so glad you have come, Andy,” she said, “and so is sister Susan. I never said anything to her about inviting8 you, but she thought it a capital idea. We shall feel ever so much safer.”{82}
Of course Andy felt flattered by the importance assigned to his presence. What boy of his age would not?
“I don’t know whether I can do any good, Miss Sally,” he said, “but I am very glad to come.”
“You shan’t be sorry for it,” assured Miss Susan, nodding significantly.
Probably this referred to her promise to pay Andy for his trouble. Our hero would never have asked anything for his service. Still, as the Peabodys were rich—that is, for a country village—he had no objection to receive anything which they might voluntarily offer.
“Come right in, Andy,” said Miss Sally.
She preceded our hero into the sitting-room, where her sister Susan was setting the table for tea.
“Here he is, Susan—here is Andy,” said Sally.
Andy received a cordial welcome from the elder of the two sisters.
“And how is your mother, Andy?” she asked.
“Pretty well, thank you, Miss Susan,” answered Andy, surveying with interest the nice plate of hot biscuit which Miss Susan was placing on the tea table.
He was a healthy boy, and was growing{83} fast, so that he may be pardoned for appreciating a good table.
“We don’t always have hot biscuits, Andy,” said the simple-minded old maid, “but we thought you would like them, and so I told sister Sally that I would make some.”
“I hope you haven’t put yourself out any on my account, Miss Susan,” Andy said.
“It isn’t often we have company,” said Susan, with a smile, “and we ought to have something a little better than common.”
“I am not used to luxurious9 living, you know,” said Andy.
“How is your mother getting along?” inquired his hostess, sympathetically.
“Very well, thank you!”
“My sister told me Mr. Starr was giving her some trouble.”
“That is true; but I guess it’ll turn out all right.”
“If it doesn’t,” said Sally, “remember what I told your mother. My sister quite agrees with me that we will advance the money to pay the note, if necessary.”
“You are very kind, Miss Sally, but you might never get it back.”
“We will trust your mother—and you, Andy,” said Sally Peabody, kindly10. “It wouldn’t ruin us if we did lose the money—would it, Sister Susan?”{84}
“No, indeed!” said Susan. “We shouldn’t borrow any trouble on that account. But supper is ready. I hope you have an appetite, Andy?”
“I generally have,” answered Andy, as he seated himself at the neat supper-table.
Our hero, whether he was in danger from burglars or not, was in danger of being made sick by the overflowing11 hospitality of the sisters. They so plied12 him with hot biscuits, cake, preserves and pie that our hero felt uncomfortable when he rose from the table. Even then his hospitable13 entertainers did not seem to think he had eaten enough.
“Why, you haven’t made a supper, Andy,” said Miss Sally.
“I don’t think I ever ate so much in my life before at a single meal,” answered Andy. “If you don’t mind, I’ll go out and walk a little.”
“Certainly, Andy, if you wish.”
Andy went out and walked about the place.
“How lucky the Peabodys are!” he said to himself. “They have plenty to live upon, and don’t have to earn a cent. I wonder how it would seem if mother and I were as well off? But they’re very kind ladies, and I don’t grudge14 them their good fortune, even if I am poor myself.”
In one respect Andy was mistaken. It is{85} by no means a piece of good luck to be able to live without work? It takes away, in many cases, the healthy stimulus15 to action, and leaves life wearisome and monotonous16.
More than one young man has been ruined by what the world called his good fortune.
In the corner of a small stable, Andy found a musket17. Like most boys, he was attracted by a gun.
“I wonder whether it’s loaded?” he said to himself.
He raised it to his shoulder and pulled the trigger.
Instantly there was a deafening18 report, and the two old maids ran to the door in dire19 dismay.
“What’s the matter?” they cried, simultaneously20, peeping through a crack of the door.
“I was trying this gun,” said Andy, a little ashamed.
“A gun! Where did it come from?”
“Isn’t it yours?”
“No; we wouldn’t dare to keep a gun about. Why, where did you find it?”
Andy told them, and they concluded it had been left by a neighbor, who had recently done a little work around the place.
Andy was struck by an idea.
“May I take it into the house,” he asked,{86} “and keep it in the chamber where I am to sleep?”
“I shouldn’t dare to have a gun in the house,” said Susan.
“But it isn’t loaded.”
“I think there is no objection,” said Sally, who was not quite so timid as her sister. “We are going to put you into the chamber over the sitting-room,” she added.
“All right!” said Andy.
“The money is in a little trunk under your bed. You won’t be afraid to have it there, will you?”
“I am never afraid of money,” said Andy, smiling.
Andy went to bed at an early hour—at about quarter after nine. It was the custom of the sisters to go to bed early, and he did not wish to interfere21 with their household arrangements.
The gun he placed in the corner of the room, close to his bed.
He did not know how long he had been asleep, when, all at once, he awoke suddenly. The moonlight was streaming into the room, and by the help of it he saw a villainous-looking face jammed against the pane22 of the window overlooking the shed.
“A burglar!” thought he, and sprang from the bed.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 prim SSIz3     
adj.拘泥形式的,一本正经的;n.循规蹈矩,整洁;adv.循规蹈矩地,整洁地
参考例句:
  • She's too prim to enjoy rude jokes!她太古板,不喜欢听粗野的笑话!
  • He is prim and precise in manner.他的态度一本正经而严谨
2 premises 6l1zWN     
n.建筑物,房屋
参考例句:
  • According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定,场内不准饮酒。
  • All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行,不用送到外面去做。
3 brass DWbzI     
n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器
参考例句:
  • Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
  • Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
4 parlor v4MzU     
n.店铺,营业室;会客室,客厅
参考例句:
  • She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
  • Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店?
5 sitting-room sitting-room     
n.(BrE)客厅,起居室
参考例句:
  • The sitting-room is clean.起居室很清洁。
  • Each villa has a separate sitting-room.每栋别墅都有一间独立的起居室。
6 surmounted 74f42bdb73dca8afb25058870043665a     
战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 ); 克服(困难); 居于…之上; 在…顶上
参考例句:
  • She was well aware of the difficulties that had to be surmounted. 她很清楚必须克服哪些困难。
  • I think most of these obstacles can be surmounted. 我认为这些障碍大多数都是可以克服的。
7 chamber wnky9     
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所
参考例句:
  • For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
  • The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
8 inviting CqIzNp     
adj.诱人的,引人注目的
参考例句:
  • An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
  • The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人,使人感到亲切温馨。
9 luxurious S2pyv     
adj.精美而昂贵的;豪华的
参考例句:
  • This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
  • The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。
10 kindly tpUzhQ     
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地
参考例句:
  • Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
  • A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
11 overflowing df84dc195bce4a8f55eb873daf61b924     
n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的,充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
  • The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。
12 plied b7ead3bc998f9e23c56a4a7931daf4ab     
v.使用(工具)( ply的过去式和过去分词 );经常供应(食物、饮料);固定往来;经营生意
参考例句:
  • They plied me with questions about my visit to England. 他们不断地询问我的英国之行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They plied us with tea and cakes. 他们一个劲儿地让我们喝茶、吃糕饼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 hospitable CcHxA     
adj.好客的;宽容的;有利的,适宜的
参考例句:
  • The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客,无论是他的朋友还是同事,他都盛情接待。
  • The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。
14 grudge hedzG     
n.不满,怨恨,妒嫉;vt.勉强给,不情愿做
参考例句:
  • I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods.我不愿花这么多钱买次品。
  • I do not grudge him his success.我不嫉妒他的成功。
15 stimulus 3huyO     
n.刺激,刺激物,促进因素,引起兴奋的事物
参考例句:
  • Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
  • Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。
16 monotonous FwQyJ     
adj.单调的,一成不变的,使人厌倦的
参考例句:
  • She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
  • His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律,一个调调儿。
17 musket 46jzO     
n.滑膛枪
参考例句:
  • I hunted with a musket two years ago.两年前我用滑膛枪打猎。
  • So some seconds passed,till suddenly Joyce whipped up his musket and fired.又过了几秒钟,突然,乔伊斯端起枪来开了火。
18 deafening deafening     
adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The noise of the siren was deafening her. 汽笛声震得她耳朵都快聋了。
  • The noise of the machine was deafening. 机器的轰鸣声震耳欲聋。
19 dire llUz9     
adj.可怕的,悲惨的,阴惨的,极端的
参考例句:
  • There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
  • We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了,但是我们渡过了困难。
20 simultaneously 4iBz1o     
adv.同时发生地,同时进行地
参考例句:
  • The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
  • The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。
21 interfere b5lx0     
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰
参考例句:
  • If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话,可能弊多利少。
  • When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件,棘手的事情就来了。
22 pane OKKxJ     
n.窗格玻璃,长方块
参考例句:
  • He broke this pane of glass.他打破了这块窗玻璃。
  • Their breath bloomed the frosty pane.他们呼出的水气,在冰冷的窗玻璃上形成一层雾。


欢迎访问英文小说网

©英文小说网 2005-2010

有任何问题,请给我们留言,管理员邮箱:[email protected]  站长QQ :点击发送消息和我们联系56065533